My Daily Pause

Worry accomplishes nothing.

Food.
Clothing.
Shelter.

Money.
Gadgets.

Big house.
Fast cars.
More money.

More more.

Doesn’t it seem like it never stops? The more someone has, the more worried he is about obtaining more.

Life is more than stuff. Life is more than food and clothing. (Luke 12:23) Life is a limited resource that we ultimately have no control over how much we are given. (Luke 12:25)

Jesus’ message is clear in Luke 12:22-34 – Don’t worry about the small stuff.

Worry is counter-productive to our dependence on God

God has promised that he will make sure our needs are met. The first thing to disappear when we worry is our trust in God to provide. Next to go is our communication with God – we forget to pray.

Paul told us the things we need are a simple thankful prayer away. There is no need for worry! (Philippians 4:6)

Not only is there no need for worry:

1. Worry is sinful – it reflects a lack of trust in God (Philippians 4:6. Matthew 6:30)
2. Worry is wasteful – it doesn’t accomplish anything (Luke 12:25)
3. Worry is harmful – The science is very conclusive that worry is destructive to our body (Proverbs 12:25a)
4. Worry is contagious – If someone we trust is worried, it is difficult not to be worried as well isn’t it?

What to do:

Getting our priorities in the right order is the theme of so many lessons Jesus had for us. In this lesson, the Kingdom of God is the object we are to seek first.

The promise we have is this: in the course of getting ourselves ready to meet God, we will accumulate enough of what we need to sustain us along the way. (Luke 12:31-34)

Question: What do you worry about?

Zacharias Writes Down the Name of his Son – 1486-90 – Ghirlandaio

Oooops.

In Luke 1, Zachariah heard some extraordinary news and it was definitely hard to believe. He was a priest carrying out his duties at the altar when the angel appeared and identified himself. (Luke 1:18) This should have been good enough for a man of God, but he let doubt rule the day.

Since he questioned the angel’s message, Zechariah was muted until he gave his new son the name John. (Read all about the birth of John the Baptist.)

Zechariah wasn’t the first one to ever doubt God. If we are honest with ourselves, we know he wasn’t the last. It is something that every Christian struggles with.

God doesn’t want us to be worried. He hates when we have doubt.

And He has told us that a lot.

Today, take your Bible out and look at all the ways that God let us know he wants us to put ourselves in his care and trust him:

• James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
• Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding…
• Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope
• Psalms 118:9 – It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes
• Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away
• John 14:1 – Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
• And the big one: Matthew 6:25-34 – Do not be anxious for tomorrow, God will take care of you…

Feelings of doubt, weakened trust, and worry are all dealt with through prayer and spending time in God’s word. (Romans 10:17) Some times are harder than others, but this is always the proper course of action.

Make it a priority to do this more!

Worry, Fear, Panic. Just a few of the symptoms of one that doesn’t trust. If we lack faith in something, then we do not expect to be able rely on it.

How do you supposed Jesus felt when he had to ask his disciples where their faith was? (Luke 8:25) Jesus had demonstrated his power to them time and time again, but they still feared the storm. (Luke 8:22-24)

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt, 1632.

Every day will bring new challenges. This might be especially true for those trying to be faithful to God. When we allow those challenges to consume our attention, we will eventually overthink the situation. Fear and worry can use that to get a foothold.

To get a head start on the day, we have to expect the unexpected. Sure, that’s a little cliché, but preparing ourselves to handle anything that life throws at us is how we deal with it. Here are a few things we can do get that head start:

• Bible reading – an excellent way to build faith (Romans 10:17)
• Prayer – The prayers of a righteous person gets results (James 5:16)
• Review our priorities – Seek God’s kingdom first (Luke 12:31) and select our treasure wisely (Luke 12:34)

Faith in God is the first step (and often the only step) needed to avoid worry and fear.

Daily Bible reading for September 12

Psalm 41
2 Samuel 2
Ezekiel 1
Luke 8:22-56

God’s word calls us, much like Psalm 49, to hear about the priorities we need to have. The psalmist reminds us that things we once worried about when we were younger don’t seem so important today. And later, the same will hold true for what worries us right now.

Jesus taught us not to worry because we are the most important thing to God (Matthew 6:25-34).

God’s invitation then, is to learn from his word – the earlier the better, so we spend our years on better things than worry.

The Lord doesn’t desire that we live in need – He tells us not to worry about anything (Matthew 6:25-34). He promises blessing to the trusting, providence to those in want, many good days to those who desire life, and an ear that hears the cries of the downtrodden (Psalm 34:8-16). What the Lord desires then, is that we turn our faith over to him completely and those blessings are just the beginning of what we’ll have. (1 Peter 2:1-3, Ephesians 1:3)

Daily Bible reading for Feb 4

Jacob begins his journey home. Solomon’s accomplishments are listed. Jesus rises and takes care of His final business on earth.

Psalm 34
Genesis 31
2 Chronicles 8
Luke 24